This invention relates to a method of treating cellulose fibers to improve their dispersability into an organic polymer matrix, to the fibers thus treated, and to composites of organic polymers and the fibers.
It is well known to incorporate discontinuous fibers into an organic polymer matrix to form composite materials having improved properties. For example, Boustany et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,364 describes composites of this type in which the contained fibers are oriented so as to give considerable strength and stiffness to the composites in the direction of fiber orientation.
It is also known that the dispersion of discontinuous cellulose fibers into a polymeric matrix can be greatly facilitated by pretreatment of the fibers with a plastic polymer and a lubricant. U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,079 to Hamed describes such a pretreatment.